diff --git a/src-self-hosted/stage1.zig b/src-self-hosted/stage1.zig
index 1544fcbc8f..8734b37a02 100644
--- a/src-self-hosted/stage1.zig
+++ b/src-self-hosted/stage1.zig
@@ -531,12 +531,12 @@ export fn stage2_progress_update_node(node: *std.Progress.Node, done_count: usiz
 
 // ABI warning
 export fn stage2_list_features_for_arch(arch_name_ptr: [*]const u8, arch_name_len: usize, show_subfeatures: bool) void {
-    print_features_for_arch(arch_name_ptr[0..arch_name_len], show_subfeatures) catch |err| {
+    printFeaturesForArch(arch_name_ptr[0..arch_name_len], show_subfeatures) catch |err| {
         std.debug.warn("Failed to list features: {}\n", .{ @errorName(err) });
     };
 }
 
-fn print_features_for_arch(arch_name: []const u8, show_subfeatures: bool) !void {
+fn printFeaturesForArch(arch_name: []const u8, show_subfeatures: bool) !void {
     const stdout_stream = &std.io.getStdOut().outStream().stream;
 
     const arch = Target.parseArchTag(arch_name) catch {
@@ -575,12 +575,12 @@ fn print_features_for_arch(arch_name: []const u8, show_subfeatures: bool) !void
 
 // ABI warning
 export fn stage2_list_cpus_for_arch(arch_name_ptr: [*]const u8, arch_name_len: usize, show_subfeatures: bool) void {
-    print_cpus_for_arch(arch_name_ptr[0..arch_name_len], show_subfeatures) catch |err| {
+    printCpusForArch(arch_name_ptr[0..arch_name_len], show_subfeatures) catch |err| {
         std.debug.warn("Failed to list features: {}\n", .{ @errorName(err) });
     };
 }
 
-fn print_cpus_for_arch(arch_name: []const u8, show_subfeatures: bool) !void {
+fn printCpusForArch(arch_name: []const u8, show_subfeatures: bool) !void {
     const stdout_stream = &std.io.getStdOut().outStream().stream;
 
     const arch = Target.parseArchTag(arch_name) catch {
@@ -618,3 +618,90 @@ fn print_cpus_for_arch(arch_name: []const u8, show_subfeatures: bool) !void {
 }
 
 // use target_arch_name(ZigLLVM_ArchType) to get name from main.cpp 'target'.
+// ABI warning
+export fn stage2_validate_cpu_and_features(
+    arch_name: [*:0]const u8, 
+    cpu: ?[*:0]const u8, 
+    features: ?[*:0]const u8, 
+) bool {
+    const arch = Target.parseArchTag(std.mem.toSliceConst(u8, arch_name)) catch {
+        std.debug.warn("Failed to parse arch '{}'\nInvoke 'zig targets' for a list of valid architectures\n", .{ arch_name });
+        return false;
+    };
+
+    const res = validateCpuAndFeatures(
+        arch, 
+        if (cpu) |def_cpu| std.mem.toSliceConst(u8, def_cpu) else "",
+        if (features) |def_features| std.mem.toSliceConst(u8, def_features) else "");
+
+    switch (res) {
+        .Ok => return true,
+        .InvalidCpu => |invalid_cpu| {
+            std.debug.warn("Invalid CPU '{}'\n", .{ invalid_cpu });
+            return false;
+        },
+        .InvalidFeaturesString => {
+            std.debug.warn("Invalid features string\n", .{});
+            std.debug.warn("Must have format \"+yes_feature,-no_feature\"\n", .{});
+            return false;
+        },
+        .InvalidFeature => |invalid_feature| {
+            std.debug.warn("Invalid feature '{}'\n", .{ invalid_feature });
+            return false;
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+const ValidateCpuAndFeaturesResult = union(enum) {
+    Ok,
+    InvalidCpu: []const u8,
+    InvalidFeaturesString,
+    InvalidFeature: []const u8,
+};
+
+fn validateCpuAndFeatures(arch: @TagType(std.Target.Arch), cpu: []const u8, features: []const u8) ValidateCpuAndFeaturesResult {
+
+    const known_cpus = std.target.getCpusForArch(arch);
+    const known_features = std.target.getFeaturesForArch(arch);
+    
+    if (cpu.len > 0) {
+        var found_cpu = false;
+        for (known_cpus) |known_cpu| {
+            if (std.mem.eql(u8, cpu, known_cpu.name)) {
+                found_cpu = true;
+                break;
+            }
+        }
+
+        if (!found_cpu) {
+            return .{ .InvalidCpu = cpu };
+        }
+    }
+
+    if (features.len > 0) {
+        var start: usize = 0;
+        while (start < features.len) {
+            const next_comma_pos = std.mem.indexOfScalar(u8, features[start..], ',') orelse features.len - start;
+            var feature = features[start..start+next_comma_pos];
+
+            if (feature.len < 2) return .{ .InvalidFeaturesString = {} };
+            
+            if (feature[0] != '+' and feature[0] != '-') return .{ .InvalidFeaturesString = {} };
+            feature = feature[1..];
+
+            var found_feature = false;
+            for (known_features) |known_feature| {
+                if (std.mem.eql(u8, feature, known_feature.name)) {
+                    found_feature = true;
+                    break;
+                }
+            }
+
+            if (!found_feature) return .{ .InvalidFeature = feature };
+
+            start += next_comma_pos + 1;
+        }
+    }
+
+    return .{ .Ok = {} };
+}
diff --git a/src/all_types.hpp b/src/all_types.hpp
index df52c29a4e..af4914e29e 100644
--- a/src/all_types.hpp
+++ b/src/all_types.hpp
@@ -2215,6 +2215,9 @@ struct CodeGen {
 
     const char **clang_argv;
     size_t clang_argv_len;
+
+    const char *llvm_cpu;
+    const char *llvm_features;
 };
 
 struct ZigVar {
diff --git a/src/codegen.cpp b/src/codegen.cpp
index 3d4d2a8c31..43fc002a12 100644
--- a/src/codegen.cpp
+++ b/src/codegen.cpp
@@ -8800,6 +8800,15 @@ static void init(CodeGen *g) {
         target_specific_features = "";
     }
 
+    // Override CPU and features if non-null.
+    if (g->llvm_cpu != nullptr) {
+        target_specific_cpu_args = g->llvm_cpu;
+    }
+    
+    if (g->llvm_features != nullptr) {
+        target_specific_features = g->llvm_features;
+    }
+
     g->target_machine = ZigLLVMCreateTargetMachine(target_ref, buf_ptr(&g->llvm_triple_str),
             target_specific_cpu_args, target_specific_features, opt_level, reloc_mode,
             LLVMCodeModelDefault, g->function_sections);
diff --git a/src/main.cpp b/src/main.cpp
index ee2faa9a78..f061b13414 100644
--- a/src/main.cpp
+++ b/src/main.cpp
@@ -100,6 +100,8 @@ static int print_full_usage(const char *arg0, FILE *file, int return_code) {
         "  --override-lib-dir [arg]     override path to Zig lib directory\n"
         "  -ffunction-sections          places each function in a separate section\n"
         "  -D[macro]=[value]            define C [macro] to [value] (1 if [value] omitted)\n"
+        "  --cpu [cpu]                  compile for [cpu] on the current target\n"
+        "  --features [feature_str]     compile with features in [feature_str] on the current target\n"
         "\n"
         "Link Options:\n"
         "  --bundle-compiler-rt         for static libraries, include compiler-rt symbols\n"
@@ -533,6 +535,8 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
     WantStackCheck want_stack_check = WantStackCheckAuto;
     WantCSanitize want_sanitize_c = WantCSanitizeAuto;
     bool function_sections = false;
+    const char *cpu = "";
+    const char *features = "";
 
     const char *targets_list_features_arch = nullptr;
     const char *targets_list_cpus_arch = nullptr;
@@ -951,6 +955,10 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
                     targets_list_features_arch = argv[i];
                 } else if (strcmp(arg, "--list-cpus") == 0) {
                     targets_list_cpus_arch = argv[i];
+                } else if (strcmp(arg, "--cpu") == 0) {
+                    cpu = argv[i];
+                } else if (strcmp(arg, "--features") == 0) {
+                    features = argv[i];
                 }else {
                     fprintf(stderr, "Invalid argument: %s\n", arg);
                     return print_error_usage(arg0);
@@ -1248,6 +1256,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
             g->system_linker_hack = system_linker_hack;
             g->function_sections = function_sections;
 
+
             for (size_t i = 0; i < lib_dirs.length; i += 1) {
                 codegen_add_lib_dir(g, lib_dirs.at(i));
             }
@@ -1269,6 +1278,13 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
                 codegen_add_rpath(g, rpath_list.at(i));
             }
 
+            if (!stage2_validate_cpu_and_features(target_arch_name(target.arch), cpu, features)) {
+                return 1;
+            }
+
+            g->llvm_cpu = cpu;
+            g->llvm_features = features;
+
             codegen_set_rdynamic(g, rdynamic);
             if (mmacosx_version_min && mios_version_min) {
                 fprintf(stderr, "-mmacosx-version-min and -mios-version-min options not allowed together\n");
diff --git a/src/userland.cpp b/src/userland.cpp
index 87ef99c03a..e0c8b33fa2 100644
--- a/src/userland.cpp
+++ b/src/userland.cpp
@@ -91,3 +91,4 @@ void stage2_progress_update_node(Stage2ProgressNode *node, size_t completed_coun
 
 void stage2_list_features_for_arch(const char *arch_name_ptr, size_t arch_name_len, bool show_subfeatures) {}
 void stage2_list_cpus_for_arch(const char *arch_name_ptr, size_t arch_name_len, bool show_subfeatures) {}
+bool stage2_validate_cpu_and_features(const char *arch_name, const char *cpu, const char *features) { return true; }
diff --git a/src/userland.h b/src/userland.h
index c85684cb36..9d3e9623fb 100644
--- a/src/userland.h
+++ b/src/userland.h
@@ -180,4 +180,7 @@ ZIG_EXTERN_C void stage2_list_features_for_arch(const char *arch_name_ptr, size_
 // ABI warning
 ZIG_EXTERN_C void stage2_list_cpus_for_arch(const char *arch_name_ptr, size_t arch_name_len, bool show_subfeatures);
 
+// ABI warning
+ZIG_EXTERN_C bool stage2_validate_cpu_and_features(const char *arch_name, const char *cpu, const char *features);
+
 #endif